Electric sign.



A ELECTRIC SIGN.

APPUCATION FILED MN. 38, 192?. 1,236,592. Pmnm Aug, 14,1917.

2 SHEETSTSHEET I.

Svwewtoz if ,EZKOW; 012/ Y to be conveniently ABRAHAM MORGAN, OFINDEPENDENCE, MISSOURI.

, ELECTRIC SIGN.

Specification of Letters'lPatent.

Patented Aug. 14, 191 7.

Application filed January 18, 1917. Serial No. 143,115.

To all whom it may] concern:

Be it known that I, ABRAHAM MORGAN, a

citizen of the United -States, residing at Independence, in the countyof Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented a new and usefulElectric Sign, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention appertains to electric signs, and aims to providea novel and improved apparatus of that character enabling the wording orcharacters of the-sign changed from time to time.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a switch orcontrolling board of novel and improved construction for controlling thecircuits of the lamps of the switch board, whereby various characterscan be provided at will upon'the sign, it merely being necessary tooperate the switch board by means of a roller, stencil or other suitableelement which will close the circuits of certain lamps of the sign toprovide the desired characters thereon, and the view. which will appearas the description" switch board can be: cleared whenever de sired tochange'the sign. 7

,With the .foregolng and other objects in proceeds, theinvention-resides infthe combination and arrangement I'of paits and in.

the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it "beingunderstood that changes intheprecis'e embodiment of the invention hereindisclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, whereinFigure 1 is a diagrammatic'al view of the apparatus.

Fig. 2' is a diagrammatical view illustrating a few of the completecircuits. I

Fig. 3\is a sectional view of the switch board, portions being brokenaway.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of an .operating member for the switchboard.

Figs. 5 and 6 are side elevations of the operating rollers for theswitch board.

The apparatus includes an electric sign 1 of suitable proportions andconstruction, the same being providedwith a field of cells 2 eachcontaining an electric lamp 3. This si is connected by a cable' icontaining the wires or conductors of the lamps 3 with the switches ofthe. switch or controlling board 5. This switch boardis of specialconstruction as will presently appear.

The switch board preferably embodies a casing or frame having the top orface plate 6 of the same shape as the sign 1, but preferably of smallersize. The switchboard can be located at any desired point adjacent to orremote from the sign. There is a partition 7 within the switch boardcasing parallel with the face plate 6, and switch .plungers 8 areslidable through the plates 6 and 7. These plungers 8 are arrangedsimilar to the lamps .3, there. being one plunger for each lamp, and asillustrated, the plungers are constructed of any suitable insulatingmaterial and are provided between their ends with switch members 9 ofconducting material. Spring contacts 10 are carried by the plate orpartition 7fto bear against the plungers 9, there being a pair ofcontacts for each plunger, and the upper ends of the plungers arepreferably rounded where they protrude slightly above the plate 6normally, with the switch members 9 raised above the upper freeterminals of the contacts 10 to open the circuits. The lower ends of theplungers 8 depend from the plate or partition 7. When a member is placedupon or passed over the plate 7 to depress the plungers 8, the switchmembers 9 are moved downwardly between the contacts 10 to bridge thesame, and close the respective'circuits. One contact pin of. each pairis connected by a conductor 11 with one terminal of an electricgenerator 12 or other source of electrical energy, and the other contact10 of each pair is connected by a conductor 13 with the lamp 3 of thesign 1 which is in the same relative position on the sign. compared withthe corresponding plunger 8.- The other terminal of each lamp 3 isconnected by a conductorv 14 with the other terminal of the generator12. Thus, each lamp 3 is in circuit with the corresponding switchplunger 8, and when certain plungers of the switch board are depressed,thecorresponding lamps of the sign will be lighted. Thus, by formingdifferent characters on the switch board by depressing the plungers, thesame characters will be formed on the-sign.

In order to clear the switch board, for changing the sign, suitablemeans is provided for raising all of the depressed plungers 8, wherebyto open the circuits and extinguish the lamps of the sign. Thus, a pushplate 15 is movable vertically within I the casing of the switch boardunderneath the plate or partition 7, and is connected by toggle links 16or otherwise with the bottom I can be normally depressed by a suitablespring 19. Consequently, whenever it is desired to clear the switchboard and sign, the lever 18 or other operating'member is actuated toraise the plate 15 and thereby push all of the depressed plungers 8upwardly, in which event a new arrangement of the sign can be made bydepressing such plungers as desired.

Various means can be used for depressing the plungers 8. Thus, a plate20 can be used of substantially the same shape as the plate 6 to bedisposed thereon, said plate 20 having raised characters 21 which willbear upon certain plungers of the switch board and depress them to closethe corresponding circuits. Therefore, such lamps 3 of the sign will beilluminated as to form the characters contained on the plate 20.Similarly, a suitable stencil can be used, or a roller 22 of anysuitable sort can be run over the board for providing the desiredcharacters. The roller 22 has a handle 23 for manipulating it. A casterroller 24 can also be moved about the board by a handle 25, whereby tospell the words or draw the characters which are to be displayed on thesign. The operating member can therefore be placed on the switch boardor be moved thereover, to either operate the desired plungerssimultaneously or in succession, the corresponding lamps being lightedcorrespondingly. The switch board thus embodies a plurality by theextinguished lamps, instead of the lighted lamps.

1 Instead of using electric lamps, any other suitable electricallyoperated signal elements can be used.

- Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

A sign apparatus embodying a switch board having spaced plates, plungersslidable through said plates and having switch members therebetween,spring contacts carried by one plate and projecting toward the otherplate, said contacts bearing a ainst the plungers to hold them fiictionaly in any position to which they are slid, said switch members beingengageable with the spring contacts for controlling lamp circuits, apush plate below one of the aforesaid plates and toward which theplungers are moved from the other plate, and means for mounting the pushplate and moving it to return all of the plungers.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto allixedmy signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

ABRAHAM MORGAN.

Witnesses:

Gso. A. GOULD, D. M. MCINTYRE.

